The Path to Ascension
by Void-Walker99
Summary: The story of a girl from Vvardenfell who comes from nothing to a thing of legends. Enjoy! Favourite and like for more :).
1. Escape from Vvardenfell

_Author's note: I intend to re-write this section at a later date. Given the length and quality of later chapters, I believe this is a poor opening to the story. For those new to the story, the chapters do get longer :). This just happened to be my first major story and I wasn't too sure how my writing style was. Enjoy! This will be a better section soon._

 **And the sky darkened**  
Karinia Dagoth Ashmane hugged her mother's leg even tighter as she looked back at her island home of Vvardenfell. The sky was a myriad of grey ash and angry red light, both spewing out of the red mountain at a rate no one had ever seen before. Her mother had her head covered with a cloak, like most did on the refugee boat, making it had for the little Dunmer girl to see the faces of anyone aboard. There was a vivid smell of sulphur and salt in the air, in addition to the sounds of sobs and angry curses from the crowded boat.  
The past few days had gone by in such a blur. One day, Karinia was in her tent with her father and mother in the ash lands, the next they were all running for the safety of the nearest port town to get to Solstheim. Her father was dead now, consumed by the mountain's fury.

She had watched him go in. The man did not scream.

Her mother reached down and picked up the little elf, shielding her from the sight that was before her by putting her close to her chest. Karinia heard her mother's heart beating so fast it could've been mistaken for a war drum. Her mother started to softly sing to her between badly kept back tears. It was an old song. A song about Nerevar and Dagoth Ur.

The helmsman of the boat was a Nord. He had done this trip many a time, but this time was different. This time, the gods were angry and he had to get out of here. He was going to leave all these people behind if it wasn't for the eyes of that little girl, begging him to come back. He couldn't save them all though. Many were still on the shoreline.

He hated himself for nearly being so selfish. At least he got to save them. He would get them to Solstheim and make sure that they would be looked after by the authorities. If he couldn't do that. He would make sure the little girl and her mother would be safe.  
At least, that's what Kari's mind-whisper spell was telling him to do anyway.


	2. The Journey to Solstheim

**The sea boils**

It didn't usually take a week for a boat from Vvardenfell to get to Solstheim. But then again, a boat isn't usually being sailed by a helmsman convinced of voices in his head that carried with them the fears of a little girl and the waters usually didn't periodical smash into the boat and cover the passengers in acrid salt water. The boat held about thirty of the refugees, crammed together and holding onto anything they could: ropes, heavy barrels and even each crossing itself was surely a curse sent from the very core of Oblivion, many of the refugees were thrown from the small boat and into the rolling currents of the sea whenever a large wave struck the boat, their friends and other members of their families screaming into the roaring sea to return their loved ones, all to no avail. Kari watched them all fall in from the safety of her mother's arms. Though she didn't care for those that fell, it did scare her that death was only a stumble off the side away.

As she hugged into her mother's cloak, desperate to hear that soothing heart beat once again, Kari let her spell go on the Nord helmsman, letting the man have some peace. The heartbeat was not hard to find and there it was, close to her bosom. _Dumdum. Dumdum. Dumdum_. It was relatively slow when compared to the past few days when it was beating like a dull butcher's cleaver on a tough piece of gristle. The little girl took in a deep breath, smelling her mother cloak, the smell of the Ashlands was soaked heavily on the fabric, helping to soothe Kari's nerves.

A particularly strong gust of wind blew over the ship, lacerating the faces of many with bits of ash, sea water and sheer force. It carried with it the smells of salt and sulphur and though not uncommon smells on the island of Vvardenfell, these smells were amplified by a faint aroma of burning flesh and blood. The Dark Elf child whimpered and hugged her mother tighter, who responded by putting her arms around the child and trying to hum her a familiar tune.

 **Somewhere else in the sphere's of existence, around a table forged of the souls of mortal champions, sat sixteen of the omniverse's most powerful beings. At least, that's what they told the mortals anyway. On the table was a detailed map of the realm called 'Nirn', completely detailed, right down to the little people scurrying around like ants in the forests and cities. Many of the beings just sat and watched, their attention not residing in their physical forms and busy ruling their own realms. Only four were truly there and the large, four armed one was busy shouting at the others. Dagon, Azura, Sheogorgath and one other who was half-watching were all arguing about who was responsible for this.**

 **Oddly enough, the prince of Destruction won that argument and took the souls killed as payment despite his recent actions in the mortal plane.**

 **But the fourth was watching the destruction with one eye and the small boat crossing the ocean go the mortal island of 'Solstheim' with the other. She reached out with one of her eight arms and drew a rune in the air over the boat. It shimmered for a while before fading away. A few of the stationary forms seated around the table raised an eyebrow to this, but most were only responding to the one who noticed.**

 **Only the prince of Madness noticed. And all he exclaimed about it was that the rune looked like a frost atronach's right testicle. In that it didn't exist in other realms. It's best not thought on too much.**

Kari glanced into the air and thought she saw a black cloud appear that looked remarkably like a spindley arm before disappearing above their boat. Soon after, the water around the little vessel began to calm from the raging maelstrom into choppy waters, infinitely better to what it was before. A few of the passengers exclaimed prayers to gods many thought had forsaken them, but many others just used the calm as an excuse to sleep while they could. The helmsman let out a shout, his voice resounding easily over the weakened storm.

"Land ahoy!".


	3. Solstheim

**The ground shakes**

It had been two months since Kari and her mother reached the Nordic island of Solstheim. It had not been the best two months, even Kari knew that. And she came from the Ashlands. Kari and her mother had been placed into a tent near a town called Raven's Rock with about ten others. The tent was crowded and uncomfortable to say the very least. Food most of the time was simply bread and water from a few generous Nord's who came around, including the Nordic helmsman. If Kari was very lucky, the helmsman would bring her a sweet roll, with the promise he would get her out of there one day. At least three men, Nord and Dunmer, had tried to force themselves onto Kari's mother in this time, and every one of them went back unsuccessful after Kari had screamed at them, causing their eardrums to burst and causing insurmountable pain to various areas of their anatomy. But never killing them. The little girl was stopped by her mother before she had the chance to do so. Her other knowing things would be worse if her daughter killed someone. And to top it all off, for the first month after arriving, the camp was repeatedly struck by aftershocks of the mountain's shaking, killing more of the refugees and a fair few of the island's inhabitants, including four of the elves sharing Kari's tent. Which most of the inhabitants of the tent weren't greatly saddened by, especially after finding three bottles of cyrodillic brandy in the contents of someone's pack.

Not the best two months overall though.

But today was different, today was a good day. For once it wasn't raining so it wasn't as cold as usual as a result. There was also a certain calmness that descended on the refugee camp that seemed both unnatural but at the same time a long time in the making. Kari and her mother were sat outside their tent by a large tree that kept them covered from the sun. Her mother was telling her stories about the Daedra and their blessings. It was a story Kari heard many times before, but it was her favourite. Especially the blessings bestowed upon the followers of Mephala and of Mehrunes Dagon. The goddess of Secrecy and the god of Destruction respectively. But her mother always warned her little girl that following these beings was a double edged blade where the rewards were great at the cost of the purity of the soul. Kari always asked if there was a patron Daedra for her family or her tribe, to which the response was always a lopsided smile and a response of,  
"You will know one day little one".

Later on in the same day, Kari was sleeping with her head in her mother's lap when the familiar sound of the Nord helmsman's voice drifted to her long ears. She kept her eyes closed, pretending to be asleep. She heard her mother talk with the man and Kari's eyes flew wide open when the man said he could get them out of here. She jumped to her feet and hugged the man's leg so tightly, the man was later sure he had a crushed leg. Kari's mother picked her up, thanking the man and showering him with blessings. The two dark elves ran back to their tent, carefully gathered up their few belongings before heading back to the man who introduced himself as Edvard Bronzeaxe. Or Eddy as his friends called him is what he preferred. It was time for a new life in a city in Skyrim called 'Solitude'.

Kari couldn't've been happier.

 **It has been at least ten decades since Mephala had spent so long around the Table. She decided she was going to stay in her female form, it seemed more fitting. None of the others were around the table, they were all preparing for the arrival of the next "bout of fun" as Sheogorgath described it even though many of the Princes foresaw it as being a long time away. She found herself watching this little dark elf child, the Daedric prince sensing something in her that would lead her to be very important, let alone the sheer value of magic radiating from her. There were a few others on the map that she could see with one of her many eyes, but as one of her chosen race, this one took priority. The Daedra frowned and looked up at the dome that shone over the table, one of the Nine was watching the table from the stars engraved on the dome. The Daedra smirked. Things just got interesting.**


	4. A Turn for the Worse

**The wind howls**

Solitude was the first city Kari had ever been too. At first she didn't like it, but she soon adapted to the life. Eddy lived in one of the houses near the city square, positioned closer to the gate so he could get to the dock faster.

Solitude itself was a large and proud city. It was known as the 'Imperial Capital' of Skyrim by quite a few of the locals. It was situated high on the cliffs overlooking the sea of ghosts, with a rather large and awe-inspiring arch separating the main city from the Blue Palace. The architecture of the towering walls and imposing buildings were like nothing else Kari had ever seen with grey stone and even greyer cement.

It was all dreadfully dull in some ways, but amazing in others for someone who had never seen it before.

Kari's mother had found herself work with one of the merchants, making trinkets and clothing for a decent enough wage to keep Kari and herself fed and able to pay rent for the man who dragged them out of that hell-hole. It was the least they could do. And Kari herself attended school, nothing fancy, but enough to teach her how to read and write and so on. The kids there were... Pleasant, if teasing sometimes about her dark skin, deep crimson eyes and bright red hair.

It was bliss for someone who had only known life as a living hell up until now. Kari would sometimes smirk when she heard the kids complaining about holes in their clothes or that their mothers didn't buy them an interesting piece of gemstone. Several years passed without any major incidents, up until the day a band of adventurers came into town. Kari was at school while one of the adventurers, already drunk from his recent victories, entered the store where Kari's mother worked. He purchased something, then accused the woman that what he had bought was not what she had said it was. Kari's mother rose and demanded the drunken man leave. The was a hiss of metal on a scabbard and the next thing the Dunmeri woman knew, she had a sword in her gut, a through and through wound that even a peasant could see was fatal. The man's eye widened and he ran from the store, the owner of the shop screaming for the guards. Kari's mother died slowly and in great pain, though she didn't let any sense of such pass her features, her little girl had been brought out of school to be with her mother in her final moments. The teenage girl had cried, her fists in her mother's cloak when the elven woman smiled at Kari, blood leaking from her mouth. She spoke, but no words came out, then she was gone. All of Solitude heard the screams and sobs of the elven girl, begging for her mother to come back, pleading for her to return.

The sadness didn't take long for Kari to be overcome with blind anger. The girl stormed to the prison cells, bolts of uncontrollable arcane lightning sparked from her finger tips. She didn't even know that she was able to conjure such power. None of the guards tried to stop her, valuing their lives far more than stopping a little girl with a grudge. The adventurer had been stripped to rags and was sitting peacefully in his cell, not entirely bothered with what he had done. Not like it was anyone important. The door to his cell was suddenly blown off its hinges, clattering loudly against the wall. He didn't stop laughing when he saw it was Kari until he was a smoking cadaver on the ground, rent apart by Kari's fury. The girl fell to her knees, her rage turning back into sorrow. The guard who was on duty watched in terror, and was shocked when the little girl fell to her knees outside the cell and began crying. The guard walked over to her and attempted to comfort the small girl, who did nothing to stop him once he was close enough. She hugged into the stranger, tears flowing from her eyes. By the time reinforcements arrived, the guard had calmed her and he told one of the guards to get spell binding bracers so that the mage didn't kill them.

Kari sat in the prison cell, only a teenager. She hugged her legs tightly up to her chest, her eyes sore from crying. Uncle Eddy had been down to see her earlier where he reluctantly told her he couldn't get her out. He was only a ship captain after all. He left with the promise he would make sure her things would be saved until she got out of prison, leaving a kiss on her forehead and saying sorry for what happened to her mother. Kari looked up at the window of her cell and saw one of the moons looking back at her. The bands around her wrists clamped around her arms tightly again and she felt the mana being drained from her body. She sniffed and got off the straw bed in her cell, falling to her knees and clasping her hands together, speaking a prayer to the Daedra for her departed mother and for her own protection.

 **Mephala was not alone around the Table for once. Boethia was there as was Nocturnal. Several of the stars in the dome over the map also twinkled as they watched, but none of the major Nine stars.**

 **" _Sister, you cannot expect us to aid you in this. Dagon is still enraged about his failed invasion and is threatening to attack our lands_ ". The voice seemed to come from no where, but Mephala knew that it was Nocturnal speaking. She was always a coward, preferring the shadows to conflict. Boethia snorted, the avatar showing a warrior woman.**

 **" _Dagon is weak Sister, even your lesser Daedra can stand against his. Mephala, I can aid you in this. I have a champion in the..._ ", the Daedra leant over to read the map of Nirn, " _Summerset Isles who can save her. But I won't do it for free_ ".**

 **Mephala slowly nodded, one of her eight arms extended across the table to the warrior woman that she considered one of her closest allies at the moment. The warrior woman took the spindly hand in a firm handshake.**

 **" _I can reforge the artefacts. Or rather bestow the means to you to do so. I want this one saved. You will decide how and so. In less than two hundred years I foresee the barriers to have caved. She will play a crucial role. Ensure she survives. Or I am afraid I cannot share her soul_ ". Mephala always spoke cryptically, mostly because she knew it annoyed the more brutish Daedric Princes, but because it best encompassed her personality. Nocturnal rolled her eyes before going back to her seat and returning to her own realm, her avatar becoming stationary. Boethia chuckled and returned to her realm, her avatar following the same rules as Nocturnal's. Mephala looked back to the map and focussed it on the cell where her newest plaything was. She briefly heard her voice drift through her mind and heard the usual things from a prayer to her. It made her smirk. Mephala glanced up again to the stars, seeing many of the lesser Aedra had left, being replaced with a blazing constellation of a pair of scales. Evidently the little mortal was praying under Julianos' moon. How convenient.**


	5. A New Friend?

**The storm settles**

The cell had become Kari's home in the few months she had been in there. It was nearly always dark, the only light coming through the window far up the wall in the cell. There also was no good way to stay warm because of the prison rags, other than clinging the bed blankets. The only food she got was a tasteless gruel that tasted worse than the 'mudcrab' surprise from the refugee camp (The surprise being it was only the mudcrab shells). They never let her out of the cell incase she got her bracers off and the only contact she got with the outside world was the occasional talk with the guard. The only other time she talked was when she gave her evening prayers to the Daedra and occasionally to Julianos, god of Magic. She didn't think about much during the day, she just hugged into her mattress and cried every time she thought of her mother, which didn't take much. The sight of her blood soaked cloak, her struggling for breath and the hollowness in her eyes when her soul slipped from her body haunted her dreams every night and no matter how much she screamed, no one came to comfort her. She was all alone and damned to live the rest of her life in this prison cell.

Over a thousand miles away, in the tropical Summerset Isles, an experienced middle-aged Altmer glanced up from the desk he was working at. He took in a breath of the blossom soaked air and glanced out of the window over the rolling green meadows. He hated travelling from this place. But She had commanded him too, so he didn't really have much of a choice in the matter. He pulled on his black robes, the ones with the gold embroidered edges and put on his face mask over his golden skinned features. He pulled his hood up over his light brown hair and moved from the window, going over to the small stone altar that rested on the ground. It was a simple circle with a few Daedric runes engraved in it, designed to be linked with others of the same type. He stood onto it and closed his eyes. There was a soft thump and he felt the air around his become colder. He opened his eyes and saw grey stone looking back at him. He looked around and saw the familiar back street of Solitude's market. He stepped off the stone circle and concealed it with a simple spell, enough to ward off the simpletons.

"Someone here to see you Kari", came the gruff voice of the prison guard that Kari never bothered to learn the name of. She looked up from her knees as a tall man in a dark robe, wearing a face mask that simply obscured his face with a blank sheet of metal, he spoke in a voice Kari instantly disliked.

"You will be coming with me, young one". The voice was monotonous, but carried with it the tone of someone who believed themselves above most men. Or mer in this case. Kari narrowed her eyes at the man and slowly shuffled further back on the bed. Her voice was hoarse from days of disuse and it did little to hide her distrust for the man or conceal the lie she told.

"I am quite happy here". The Tall Man laughed and stepped into the cell, Kari could smell some kind of planty smell on him. She smirked at the thought of this intimidating man wearing perfume.

"You could've fooled me Karinia Ashamane. You have made some... Interesting allies. Well... More like observers. Allow me to introduce myself". The Tall Man removed his mask, revealing the face of an Altmer male with piercing and judging blue eyes. And Kari could've sworn she saw black spots in the whites of his eyes. But she was more concerned about how this man knew her name. "Huntrek Redmane".

"H-How do y-". She was cut off by the man's disarming smile. A subtle movement, but powerful none the less.

"I know enough about you Karinia to know that you would prefer anywhere but here. I am offering you a simple choice. Come with me and be free. Or stay here and rot". The young Dunmer didn't take long to slowly nod. She got off the bed with caution and rubbed her arm.

"The food here was crap anyway. How are you getting me out?".

Huntrek put his mask back on and clicked his fingers. Kari's rags shimmered and changed into a more common looking set of clothes. Huntrek nodded approvingly. "Stay quiet and let me do the talking". Kari nodded and followed the posh Altmer, looking at the ground.

After some silver-tongued talking from the black-robed Altmer, Kari found herself standing on a weird looking stone circle in a backstreet that looked very familiar. She looked up at the sky and saw the grey clouds drift lazily overhead. Huntrek stepped onto the stone circle after muttering a few words. He closed his eyes and recommended she did the same. Before she could ask why, she was almost blinded by a flash of white light. She let out a shout of pain before being restrained by Huntrek to stop her knocking over his various relics. He had the idea that this was going to be a long month.

 **" _What d'ya mean I look different? I look exactly t'same!_ ". Sheogorath was still saying that his mild appearance 'hiccup' was because of his recent Greymarch, something to do with order invading the land, going different to usual. Malacath clenched his fist around his hammer after the Mad God mentioned the 'fish-stick' again. The others were meant to be here, but the god of Righteous Vengeance was stuck with this bafoon. Above the two squabbling Daedra, the engraved dome of stars twinkled to one another in conversation, concerned in their own affairs. The god of Magic, Julianos, was lost in his own thoughts, his stars looking down on the world. It was his night to watch over the mortal realm again and he found himself watching the little girl that had prayed so dearly to his moon a few months ago. He was worried for her, but he had given up on the Mer folk a long time ago.**


	6. Settling in

**The pain subsides**

Her vision returned shortly after the brief period of blindness. The first thing she noticed about this new place was that it smelt like trees. Sickeningly so. It was also far too warm for someone who had become accustomed to the biting cold of Skyrim. Huntrek had put her down in a chair that was soft and comfier than any bed she had ever been in. She had almost fallen asleep by the time Huntrek gave her a bowl of some local stew of vegetables and some kind of meat, which for someone who had been eating nothing but gruel for months was a godsend.

Huntrek watched the young girl devour the soup as though she had never eaten in all her life. He never questioned his chosen Goddess and Her motives, She was of a higher level of intelligence and understanding to he. But even he had to wonder what the Daedra could see in this scrawny and pitiful girl that was in front of him. He turned on his heels and with a grace befitting that of an Altmer, he walked off to his study, leaving the girl to her meal. He sat down in a carved wooden chair, a unique piece from an Argonian craftsman that had travelled to Valenwood. Huntrek sighed. Such a waste that he was chased out of the town. The High Elf reached into one of the draws of his desk and took out a small basalt statue of Boethia, cast in a common depiction of Her warrior form. He placed it on the soft cherrywood of the desk and rested his elbows on the table, locking his hands together before placing his forehead on the linked hands. He offered a short prayer to Her, more to tell her that he had retrieved her despite being aware that She likely already knew. He remained in prayer and heard the Dunmer girl walk up to his study door,

"I can hear you Karinia. You sound like a Nord in plate armour in this house". He opened his eyes and swiftly placed the small basalt statue back into its draw. The Altmer turned in his seat to see the shorter elf standing in the doorway, the illusionary spell on her rags having dissipated and leaving her in her prison sack cloth clothing. Her voice was still hoarse from disuse, making her accent seep far too much into her speech,

"I'd say I'm sorry, but you know that would be a lie. I wa-". One again, she was cut off by the Altmer. She thought it was terribly rude.

"You want answers? I am afraid I am not the one to... Disclose such information. I am merely a means to an end miss Ashmane. What will happen in the next few days is very simple. I will refine your... Talents let's call them and then I will be sending you on your way. I have a few simple rules. Do what I tell you and go where I tell you to go. If anyone asks, you are my adopted daughter. Your name is Tanthia Redmane. Understood?".

Kari stood slightly bewildered, soaking in all this information as quickly as she could. She eventually nodded, opening her mouth again to ask a question.

"The washroom is upstairs. Try not to use all of the water".

Kari narrowed her eyes at the man before turning and walking through the elegantly decorated house, stopping along the way to read a few tapestries that were so very fine and beautiful, depicting ancient scenes that Kari didn't understand. Eventually she tore her eyes away and ascended the polished stairs before stumbling into a tiled room. It seemed to Kari that everything in this house had been crafted with every detail in mind with the intention to stun. The tiles made the room appear like it was underwater with their colour and texture. There was a large smooth stone bowl in the centre of the room with a dark crystal hovering above it that seemed to be emanating light into the room as soon as Kari entered. Kari looked bemused by all this and began looking around for how to work this contraption. She'd been in enough Dwemer ruins with her father to have a basic understanding of most mechanisms. She had, in all her times in Dwemer ruins, never seen what an 'on' button looked like. So the girl managed to fail to notice the small button engraved in the smooth surface of the bowl.

Huntrek glanced up the stairs. Surely the girl didn't take two hours to wash? He shrugged idly and went and sat down in one of his comfy chairs, summoning a certain spell book over to him to glance over. The front of the tome was bound in white leather and was covered wit Daedric script, a prize of his that he recovered from the oblivion gates that opened on the island. He knew the spell already, but it never hurt to refresh one's memory.

 **" _I have done what you have asked of me Sister. My champion has saved your aspirant. Now uphold your_ _end of the bargain_ ". Boethia looked over the table at his Daedric sister. He had decided that the female form had become boring, so he shifted into his male form for a short time. Mephala found such things tedious, only changing to other forms if she really needed too. Two of her spindly eight arms extended towards the male warrior, glowing as it displayed a golden chest through a shimmering portal.**

 **" _By courier I will have the artefacts sent to you. Hopefully it will aid you in dismantling Dagon's coup_." Mephala retracted her arms and folded them over her chest, making it look like a web had grown over her chest. Her eight eyes darted around, watching the room for any sign if the other Princes'. The Table and the Dome were both silent, barring them two.**

 **" _I know I should not be aware if your schemes Mephala, but what exactly do you intend to do with this little girl? I do not foresee things ending well for her_ ". Boethia placed her large axe down across the table, keeping it off the map.**

 **" _You only watch one Thread, this is your flaw. And for me to fully explain, it would be quite a bore. To put it simply, in terms that are easy. Otherwise I b-_ ". Mephala was cut off by a sudden fist on the table, out there by Boethia, who gave her a harsh glare. Mephala simply smirked. " _Patience Brother, you will soon see. In two hundred years, this girl will be as essential as you or me_." Boethia sighed and nodded. Standing with his axe to go and return to his realm. Just as he left he spoke out.**

 **" _Be careful Sister, you are making a dangerous gamble_ ". **


	7. The Lessons Begin

**The wounds heal**

A few weeks had passed since Kari had been brought to the Summerset Isles and as long as she had been there, she had not yet been allowed to leave Huntrek's home. She had been given some new clothes that were loose fitting, once Kari had had her spell-binding bracers removed, good for 'lounging around' in as Hunt called it. Most of the time she found herself bored out of her skull, often sitting by the window in Huntrek's study and watching the world roll by. The house was quite a way off from any other centres of civilisation, with Kari just being able to sight a cobbled road snaking up the hill on the horizon. The house itself was a two-story manor, with various guest rooms, studies and wash-rooms. It also housed a kitchen that seemed to be manned by one or two Argonians. Kari almost threw a dagger at one when she saw them the first time while on her wanders, convinced they were some kind of Blight creature that had followed her from Vvardenfell. The male Argonian had had to pretty much pin her down to the ground and explain very slowly what they were. Kari calmed down after that, even if she did uelp every time they appeared out of the servant's passages at night.

She was sitting by the window as usual, watching the clouds lazily drift over the green grass in the azure blue sky. The smell of cherry blossom that seemed to be soaked into the air still made her feel light headed, but she had became accustomed to it. Silver-Eyes, the male servant, walked into the study, speaking in his rasping voice,

"Miss Tanthia? Your father has sent you a message." Kari was still getting used to being called Tanthia, and that Huntrek was her 'father'. She sighed and turned her head from the view to look at the ruby-scaled lizard. She found him oddly pleasant company, he was taller than her, with eyes like quicksilver and white spikes protruding out his head and folding back to rest on his crown. His left hand had been removed as part of a hunting 'accident', ending in a stump that had scales grown over it.

"What is it Silver?". Kari's voice had returned and her accent had faded somewhat.

"Your father has said that we are to begin your training. If you would please follow me Miss Tanthia". Silver bowed slightly, watching the ground. Kari got off the window ledge and walked over to the servant.

"What kind of training? And why didn't it start earlier?". She was inquisitive, but she had the inkling suspicion she wouldn't get any answers as usual.

"Magical training Miss Tanthia. And your father has said he was waiting for, I believe he said, 'a sign'." The Argonian looked up and gave her a smile, the slight discolouration of his neck scales showing against the sunlight shining in through the window. Kari returned the smile.

"Then let's get moving shall we?" The Dunmer spoke. The second servant walked in, a female called Purple-Claws. She didn't seem to speak much from what Kari had seen, but she seemed to be the stern one. She had no horns coming out of her head so was effectively bald, her eyes were truly reptilian, golden like the sun of Magnus. She was about the same height as Kari and certainly shared her stubbornness. Finally, her scales were a dull greenish-grey colour, with a red discolouration around her neck and a purple colour surrounding her hands. She looked at Silver and beckoned him to go with a gesture of her hand. Her voice seemed to rasp less, but still did as most Argonian's did.

"I will be teaching you. Silver couldn't conjure a spark to save his life. Master Redmane has said that you will be needing it in the coming weeks. I'm afraid it may not be the most exciting of times, most of it will be reading books. You know how to read yes?" Kari slowly nodded, scratching an annoying itch that had been building on her elbow. Purple turned and began to walk out, with Kari scrambling out to follow. She moved through the house like a ghost, a ghost heralding a stumbling Dunmer. They ended up in a room Kari hadn't been in before through a door she had never seen. The Argonian opened up the heavy wooden door to reveal a pitch black room that slowly lit up with the same dark crystals the Kari encountered in the washroom. Kari's eyes widened as she saw row upon row upon row of bookshelves filled from top to bottom with dusty tomes in different coloured bindings. Her crimson eyes remained wide as the dress clad Argonian went over to a desk in the middle of the room, conjuring a few books from their shelves to the table with a sway of her hand.

"Let's get started shall we Miss Tanthia?". Purple smiled and pulled out a chair for the elf to sit down on.

 **The world of Nirn can best be described as strange as best. Across the world, many provinces were still recovering from the recent incursion from Oblivion by the forces of Mehrunes Dagon. The Champion of Cyrodill had gone missing after going through a strange portal and the threat of the collapse of the Empire loomed heavy over the land without an emperor. Yet still, among the discord and mayhem, the Twenty-Five divine beings that used the world as their playing ground watched on. Champions of each represented by a stone figure that showed them perfectly for the Daedra and models of shining light for champions of the Aedra, sadly missing from the map of Nirn. Of course, mortal champions do not last forever and so the pieces are removed from the board, their souls and models stored in a small recess in the Table where the gods could keep them as bartering chips. As it stood, Dagon had used all of his champions, the recess for his army empty. Right now he stood on the table, the map of Nirn having been rolled up and stored safely away for this gathering. All of the Divine Beings were present, the case for Dagons' banishment had been presented and the 'jury' had passed judgement. He was to have his power stripped from him for fifty years and to have his direct influence over the mortal realm severed permanently. His lesser Daedra would be allowed to act as emissaries in the mortal realm, but only with the permission of one of the Nine. Mephala had voted to remain neutral in the affair. She would rather have Dagon as an ally than an enemy and in the end, it suited her plans much better. And after all, Dagon's ground forces had proved themselves worthy, as Molag Bal's had several centuries ago. That was the last time such a large gathering was held. Mephala glanced into her recess of small stone figures, taking out the one of her newest, the small elf girl. As the Nine took the power from Dagon, Mephala tightened her grip on the statue, hopefully this still worked**.


	8. The First Step on the Path to Ascension

**The Mind Screams**

Tired didn't quite summarise how Kari felt after several days of study in the library. Exhausted was close, but it didn't get the sense of utter boredom that came from doing nothing but reading books of magic for hours of end. She was sat at the reading desk, an item crafted from a dark metal inlaid with shards of obsidian. There was a small crystal placed in the skull of what could be called a troll that emanated light down onto the desk, making it easier to read in the library's gloom. Purple-Claws came in every hour or so to make sure Kari hadn't slacked or to bring in food for the girl. Kari was initially excited when her training started, which went south faster than a sparrow hawk when Purple-Claws had put the piles of spell books and magical theory down in front of her. She hadn't cast a single charm since she started. Although to be fair, the only other times she had conjured magic was in times of great emotional stress like the previous book she had read mentioned. She let out a sigh and let her head drop to the table. She could get a few winks in before Purple came in to check on her again. Just a few. She was asleep before her eyes had shut.

She awoke on the deck of a familiar looking ship that rocked heavily on a stormy sea. She quickly looked around to see there was no land on the horizon and only mile after mile of roaring sea. She backed away from the edge of the ship and bumped into something. No. Someone. She slowly turned and saw a tall robed woman with eight sleeves for the matching amount of arms. Kari's eyes widened and she fell to her knees, looking up at the dark figure who wore a mockery of her mother's cloak. It spoke in a tone that dripped with ancient wisdom, but managed to ignore Kari's long ears to go straight to her brain.

 ** _"Greeting Karinia Ashmane. This has been a long time in the making I believe. I am glad to speak with you this eve. I have been watching for some time_** ". The figure remained standing, the eight arms folded over its chest to make a web shape. Kari attempted to speak, but the words crumbled like wet sand in her mouth.

" _ **I cannot say I am surprised by your response. Not many are so**_ ". The figure was quiet for a moment. " _ **Nonchalant. I am Mephala. Goddess of your tribe from the Ashlands**_." Kari's kneeling turned from shock to one of respect very very quickly. The Goddess pulled down the hood to reveal the eight-eyed face so familiar to any normal Daedric cultist. Kari found words the managed to be louder than the howling wind of the dream's storm, albeit with a stutter.

"M-My Lady. I am h-h-honoured. What is th-the m-m-meaning of this b-blessing?". Kari could only recall scraps of what her mother taught her about legendary warriors and priests meeting gods. She imagined they were completely different to this. The Daedra chuckled softly, it had been a while since she last spoke face to face with a mortal. Let alone a pathetic little girl. She decided this would be much simpler if she left out the rhyming part.

" ** _It is very simple Karinia. Your soul belongs to me. I will grant you protection and guidance. You will be blessed with my mark and should I see it fit, I may send help. All you need do is drink of my blood_** ". A goblet full of a black liquid appeared on the decking in front of Kari. She looked down at it, her crimson eyes wide as she tried to understand what was going on. They betrayed the fact she didn't. The only noise for a long while was the howl of the wind and the roar of the sea. The Daedra was in no hurry, she had all of eternity after all.

"I accept your blessing m-my Lady. I have n-nothing to l-l-lose from it". The Dark Elf looked up at the face of her new god. The expression had only changed because of a smirk that appeared on the face of the Daedra. It gestured with one of its arms to the goblet. Kari looked back down at the menacing black liquid and swallowed a lump that had appeared in her throat. She reached out with shaking hands before taking the simple goblet. And then, with more confidence than she ever mustered in her life, she drank the foul tasting liquid in one go. The Elf immediately began to cough and splutter, her body attempting to reject the foul poison that had entered her body. Eventually she began to scream in pain as the blood began to flow through her own veins. The last thing she saw before she blacked out was the tall figure began to fade, laughing.

" _ **And so it begins Karinia. We will meet again soon**_ ".

Kari gasped and sat upright in the chair. She breathed heavily and looked around. She was no longer on the storm lost ship but back in the library of Huntrek's home. She leaped from the chair and went straight to the washroom, aware of the searing pain on her back and in her eyes. Surely that was the strangest dream she had ever seen. Even the one where Silver had approached her an-

"Miss Tanthia?" The rasping voice of Purple snuck up on her and the young girl yelped. She turned to look at the servant, who gave her a stern look. "Your training is not done for today and-. You look like you've seen a ghost." The young girl looked at the Argonian and gave her a tired smile.

"I just feel a bit ill Purple. I'll feel better after a lie down. If that's alright". Kari spoke weakly to give the impression of being sick, which the older servant seemed to fall for. The servant sighed and waved Kari off.

"You can have a few days off then Miss Tanthia. Maybe I was too harsh with my initial teachings". The Argonian smiled and turned to leave. When she spoke with Silver later that night, she swore she had seen small white spots in the black of Kari's eyes. Kari carried on to the washroom, removing her clothes and looking at her back in the polished mirror. She almost screamed at what she saw, biting down on her tongue as not to do so. Her back was covered in sprawling masses of runes, mostly Daedric, written in a black so brilliant that it stood out against her ashen skin as though it were white. She let out a whimper and quickly threw her clothes back on, running to her room and throwing herself under the covers. She knew she wouldn't be sleeping for a long long time.

 **Mephala looked up from the statue of Kari, which was now inlaid with shards of obsidian. The trial was complete and Dagon had returned to his realm, the others were talking among themselves. The Daedric prince stood up, putting the little statue into her recess before walking away from the table, towards one of the octagonal windows that looked out across the spheres of existence. She watched several of the stars glitter by and say in the very far distance, a very small planet. Somewhere on that planet, her newest champion walked. Or rather, the prince guessed, her newest champion was coming to terms with being a champion chosen by Daedra rather than the other way around. Now the next phase could begin. There was almost certainly the crack of flagstones from someone behind her. Sheogorath must have talked to Malacath about the 'fish-stick' again.**


	9. A Night to Remember

**Clouds gather**

The next morning came slowly for Kari. She had spent the night in a strange circle of events and a whole cocktail of emotions. She had sat at the desk in her room with her bare back showing towards the mirror, transcribing the various runes into a small notebook she had... Acquired from the library a few days before. She noted that it was not just Daedric that had manifested itself over her body, but also scraps of Dwemerish and Ancient Nordic. What it said, Kari couldn't make head nor tail about, a few symbols repeated themselves, giving the impression that the runes were actual words, not just random letters. There had been a knock on the door during the night, the rasping voice of Silver drifting through to ask if she was alright and that he had tonight's meal for her. Kari barely looked up from her notebook and spoke to the closed door that she was fine and demanded, albeit as polite as she could, that Silver left her alone for a while. He could leave the meal though. The Argonian chuckled before his footsteps could be heard patting away down the corridor. When the sounds had gone, Kari leant out of her room, barely opening the door and not throwing anything to cover her bare upper body, snatched the tray of the food and ate merrily by herself. There was also the issue, she had noticed, that the runes were causing her a lot of pain in her back and a lot of the time she was very aware that she could feel _something_ beating in her chest that wasn't her heart. At least, she hoped not.

It had been a long time since Kari had seen herself in the mirror and she was nearly brought to tears by how much like her mother she now looked. Her face was sculpted with the traditional Dunmer features, though her forehead was not so prominent as others of her race. If her skin and eyes were a different colour, she likely could've passed for a Breton. Her eyes remained a dark crimson surrounded by the pitch black that gave her race such fiery looks, though her blacks of her eyes had developed small white spots. Her hair was almost the same colour as her eyes, albeit slightly lighter and with the occasional black streak. It came down to her middle back, having not been cut for a very long time and was presently tied up in a ponytail. Finally, she bore a small amount of tribal paint that had been tattooed on her face from an early age, which were light spirals that cascaded down from the corners of her eyes and stood out brilliantly against her ash coloured skin.

"I wonder what she would be saying now." She found herself saying beneath her breath. Kari looked at her naked back in the mirror and sighed, throwing on a cloak over herself. She felt lonely for the first time since she was put in prison. The elf looked at the empty tray that was on her desk. An idea blossomed in her mind.

Silver had walked through this house many times. And every time he found himself stopping by the tapestry that stood outside the guest room nearest the washroom at the top of the stairs. It was an old one, master had once told him, depicting a seen in which the Sload of Thras were beaten back by the resplendently armoured armies of the Altmer. Silver had been born a thief and knew a forgery when he saw one. He was sure Huntrek knew as well, but it didn't stop it from looking very good. There were small enchantments on the silk that made the images on the tapestry move and fight. It always made for an interesting watch. Silver was standing with a small lantern in his hand when he felt a small rush of air brush past his tail. He raised an eyebrow, making sure to look onwards at the tapestry. He knew who it was, especially since Purple wouldn't be so careless.

"Can I help Miss Tanthia?" Silver turned and looked at the elven girl who had perched herself on a nearby table. She smiled sweetly at him, the light from the lantern not showing that much of her. She looked paler than usual, her eyes glinting in the lantern-light. Her voice was light and floated on the air, much more innocent than in the past few days.

"I was wondering if I could have some more food Silver. I've found myself to be rather hungry in my fevered state". Silver had heard this tone before from his little sister, Hist protect her soul, and knew where this was going.

"Of course. Follow me please Miss Tanthia". He returned the smile to her and lead her to the kitchen, taking the shortest route he knew. It wasn't lit by crystals like the rest of the house, but instead by the roaring fire in the middle of it that was currently heating a kettle full of Purple's mudcrab broth. Silver went and sat down by the table, resting the lantern on a hook on the way in. Purple was busy over the stove, not noticing that the two had entered until Silver spoke up.

"Please take a seat Miss Tanthia and welcome to our humble abode. Care for anything else to go with your stew?". The Argonian smiled pleasantly at the elf, gesturing for her to take a seat at the head of the small square table. Purple came over and set up another place for Kari, before hurrying back to cook up her stew. She wasn't in her usual fine dress that she wore during the day, but instead a few loose fitting rags that kept her cool while in the heat of the kitchen. Silver was also wearing similar attire, exposing his red chest scales that seemed to dance in the firelight. He reached over and took a few thimble sized glasses from a nearby shelf as well as a small decanter containing a blue liquid.

"Mind if I open up the Reserve Purple? I think we can let some go for his special occasion". The male Argonian waved his one hand, carrying the decanter, at Purple. The green scaled Argonian looked over at them both and pondered for a moment.

"Alright". The female spoke calmly, a grin spreading over her features, "I'd like to see how Miss Tanthia handles her alcohol". Before Kari could protest, one of the small glasses was passed over to her, the liquid inside seemed to change colour when she took a hold of the glass. She looked up at the two servants, who were waiting to see what happened when the elf tried to drink their home brewed liqueur. Kari raised her glass, her innocent voice gone,

"To friends and those no longer here". This was the last thing Kari remembered saying before everything blacked out.

She slowly opened her eyes to reveal she was looking at the ceiling of her own room. Her head thumped heavily in her skull, one side arguing with the other about what in Oblivion was going on. One side vaguely recalled alcohol and the other recalled a drunken bet. Kari very slowly turned her head to either side of her, seeing that she was indeed in her bed, recognising her desk and the painted walls. She groggily sat up, her head screaming at her at being so stupid. She was confused about why her clothing was scattered around the room and why she hadn't crawled under the covers as she usually did. She grabbed some undergarments and stumbled to her attached washroom to scrub off the grime she felt all over herself. Somewhere downstairs, the two Argonians were busy creating breakfast for themselves and for the Dunmer. Purple had not yet spoken to Silver, she usually didn't when he had done something so stupid and especially not when he was begging her not to tell the master about it.


	10. Suspended

**Thunder rumbles**

Huntrek was not new to dealing with the Princes of reality and the heavens. He had worked with many of them as their agent on the mortal realm. Each one had its perks, although Peryite had given him one of his diseases as a "reward" for completing one task for him. The High Elf was careful since then when he accepted a task from them. This one from Boethia had inklings of deals with other gods, but he was not one to question such things. His was to simply do. He took a glance at the sealed stone door in front of him, carved from star-stone that reflected the pale light of the moon rather brilliantly off its white surface. The stone was pockmarked with erosion from the ravages of time, which turned out to work in Huntrek's favour when he blasted the door's magical barrier's away with a few blasts from a fireball, causing the already weakened stone to crumble into white rubble at his feet. He sighed softly and graciously stepped over the rubble and began to descend the steps into the Ayleid ruin, the air suddenly turning from warm to cold in a blink of an eye. A small mote of light appeared in Huntrek's hand before it bobbed up from his hand and with spritely energy hopped around its master and drifted forwards to look for friends to play with. Huntrek continued to walk, following the annoying thing. It's father had been much more tame. The path suddenly twisted and plummeted downward, the stairs having crumbled into dust. The mage dusted off some mortar from his garments before conjuring a spell to descend down onto the floor below, landing with a soft thump before continuing to walk. A gate swung open in front of him and the familiar sounds of ancient coffins rumbling open reached his ears. A ball of fire engulfed one of his hands, a spectral dagger appearing in the other. He knew what this meant.

Kari didn't ask about the other night's events. Her brain worked out what had happened once the throbbing pain in her head had dissipated. So the elf had returned to the library to continue her studying, only giving a nod to the servants when they appeared to give her food or drink. While there, she had a wander through the library to try and find any books she could get on the ancient languages that had appeared on her body, but nothing she found gave her any definite answers. She found a few tomes that explained what many others had described as blessings from their chosen gods and goddesses, but Kari felt that her situation was different. She had not been seeking favour from a god, a god had chosen to given her her favour. This only created an anger inside of her that caused her to throw the book she had been reading against a wall. The book landed with a loud thud before it's pages opened up and it floated up to where it had been on the shelf, nestling back in with its fellow tomes. Kari snarled and returned to her desk, angrily flipping one of her study books open, glaring holes in the book with her crimson eyes. She didn't even notice when Purple came in and gently tapped her shoulder.

"Miss Tanthia?". The Argonian sounded as she usually did, but with more emotion in her voice than she usually allowed to get through her mental filter. Kari looked up at the servant, her look not dimming. It took Purple aback by the sheer rudeness of the act, causing the reptile to return the look. The two held eye contact for a while before Kari's expression changed.

"Sorry Purple... I haven't slept well for a while". Kari's voice carried elements of truth, though the elf had been sleeping, it was a sick kind of sleep. It was sleep that could only be called as such because one awoke from it rather than drifting off into mindless oblivion. Her nights were plagued with visions of ape-like creatures furiously beating into the corpses of people she felt she had to protect, there was a woman in her dreams that had a hair of flowing quicksilver along with a giant of a man who wore a mask that obscure his face and were... Things in the sky. She didn't know how to describe them other than flying lizards. Purple-Claws sighed and smiled gently at the elven girl, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I don't blame you. You were rather drunk the other night. Your father should be returning home soon Miss Tanthia. I believe he would like to see the fruits of your study". The Argonian patted Kari's shoulder gently. Kari looked up, her eyes sparkling and a grin slamming onto her face. Purple couldn't help but return it, it seemed to be rather infectious.

"You mean I can finally start casting some spells? Finally!" The excitement could barely be contained from the trembling elf girl. Before Purple could respond, Kari was already on her feet raring to go. The Argonian simply smirked and beckoned for Kari go follow as she lead her from the library and into the courtyard that came out of the back of the house. Kari had been here once or twice, but found she couldn't stand the intense smell of plants that pervaded the spot. The courtyard was part of a much larger garden and was made of a golden sandstone, several planters with benches carved into them rose up from edges with an array of exotic and wonderful plants. Insects could be heard buzzing around, drinking in the broth of smells and the myriad of colours that some kind High Elf had created for them. Purple had set up a large stone target that the master used from time to time to practice his magics in the tranquility of the garden on the courtyard. The sky was a deep azure blue and a few wisps of white fluff drifted through the sky lazily.

"So Miss Tanthia. This is very simple. I would like you to throw a simple fireball at the stone target. Don't worry. I do not feel you will have the power to destroy it outright". The Argonian demonstrated, a ball of flame engulfing her hand before she flung it with a sweeping gesture towards the stone pillar. It blossomed against the pillar, blackening the spot where it impacted before dissipating, causing the air around the pillar to shimmer from the heat. Kari was practically hopping with excitement, swiftly having to compose herself. She took a deep breath and brought up the runes and words that had been contained in the spell book for the spell in her mind. She muttered the words under her breath and felt the blood in her veins rush to her hand. There was a rush of air and a weak fireball crackled in her hand. She looked at it and was amazed to see he fire, but not feel the heat from the orange flame. Before it could dissipate, she threw it at the pillar. To say she missed was an understatement. The weak ball if light flew up into the sky over the pillar, eventually fading as he mana used to create it burned itself out. Purple had to hold back a grin,

"Good Miss Tanthia. Keep practicing and try using other spells. You may need to work on your aim though." The servant couldn't hold back a chuckle when she said that. Kari rolled her eyes and tried again, feeling her blood rush each time she attempted the spell. It was an exhilarating feeling that nothing else could be compared to. It was as though her arm had been placed in ice water, then removed to let the warm blood return. Her second fireball was just as weak, impacting on the side of the pillar with a good sounding phwoosh noise. She continued to practice through the rest of the afternoon, the weakness of her spells not draining her mana reserves as much as it would for a more experienced mage. Purple stayed to supervise, watching the girl with passing interest as her range of spells were greater than she had expected. It seemed to the Argonian that it was true what they said about the Dunmer, her destruction school spells were more powerful than the rest, though her illusion and alteration weren't too bad. Her healing spells were pitiful and Purple preferred not to have the girl practice conjuration magic without Master Huntrek here to supervise. Silver appeared at one moment to bring refreshments, to which Purple only nodded. She hadn't spoken to her colleague since he did what he did the other night with the Master's daughter.

Huntrek ran a hand up his arm, the golden glow patching up the few scratches he had sustained during the fight. The scattered bones of the defeated skeletons lay on the ground, already crumbling to dust as ancient curses faded from their being. It had not been a tough fight, but Huntrek had not been counting on a few of the skeletons to be using bows. The Altmer stood, testing his freshly healed wounds. His little magelight watched him with childish interest, playing with a decorative chandelier that hung over the room. Huntrek moved very slowly towards a large coffin that hadn't opened during the fight, likely this was the lord of the skeletons he just slew. The lid was heavy and made of a mix of stone and metal, but Huntrek found the strength in his young bones to prize the lid off the ancient sarcophagus. The stench of decomposition reached his nostrils, even through his mask, before he saw the rotting remains of an Ayleid looking up at him through ceremonial armour. Around the neck of the corpse was what Huntrek was after, an amulet depicting a rune that many knew, the symbol of Oblivion. The elf wasted no time and grabbed the amulet, breaking the fine chain that attached it to the corpse. He knew that various trap mechanisms had been triggered and he was gone before the first block of the ceiling slammed into the ground, showering the dark room with clouds of white dust.

Kari fell to the ground, exhausted. Purple explained to her that this was likely because her magicka reserves will have run dry. The young elf grumbled, mostly annoyed that she wasn't able to keep practicing. She stumbled over to get a drink, finding herself exceptionally thirsty. A glass of water was offered to her by the servant. Purple turned when she heard the sounds of a bell ringing. It meant that the master had returned. Purple made her excuses and swiftly walked through the house up to the study where the tall Altmer was busy changing into his usual black robes. He acknowledged the servant with a nod.

"Prepare Tanthia for the ritual. Good work with teaching her magic Purple-Claws. And I will speak with Silver-Eyes once I am done". The list of orders came as quickly as they went. She opened her eyes to ask how he knew all this, but he cut her off before she could speak. As he usually did.

"Don't ask Purple. Do what I ask". He turned and walked down the stairs, walking past her as she hastily stepped aside. The Altmer disappeared into the growing darkness of the house, going through to one of the less used rooms in his house. The room was one of the study rooms, but it has been stripped bare of furniture and a few candle stands had been left here to light up the stone circle in the middle. It was one of Huntrek's teleportation rings, but is one was for time suspension. Don't worry. You'll find out what it is soon.

Kari was brought to the room by Purple who only said a few words, weirdly goodbyes. The girl was worried by this, thinking the worst as anyone would in this situation. She saw Huntrek standing in the room. He offered her a kind smile.

"I can see you are scared Kari. Your eyes betray you. You shouldn't be, I have done this before". The Altmer's golden eyes did do something to calm Kari's nerves and she slowly stepped forwards. He raised a hand and motioned for her to stop. Huntrek turned and sprinkled void salts over the ring, causing it to glow lightly with an incandescent violet light. He raised a hand to the ring, a similar glow radiating from it before a tendril of magic shot out and coiled around the ring, various runes starting to glow on it. Huntrek looked at Kari, and with a voice that carried much command, he spoke.

"Step on the ring Karinia. It will not hurt". He sounded sure, but Kari was worried. She hadn't had a lot of world experience, but she felt that stepping onto a ring of glowing magical runes was probably not good for her health. But something in Huntrek's voice beckoned her to put one foot in front of the other, despite her brain's violent protests. As soon as she stepped into the centre of the ring, the light enclosed around her. She turned and saw Huntrek smile, then everything blacked out.

Huntrek looked at the girl suspended in time. He let the amulet drop out of his hand, smoke curling from it. He had some time to kill before he could retrieve her. Silver-Claws was upstairs, cleaning Kari's room. She had made a lot of drunken promises to him the other night. He found himself thinking about it as he removed the various bedsheets and began to polish down the desk. Purple had said that her personal possessions were to be left alone. As he turned the mirror over to start polishing it, he saw that there was a letter attached to the back. Addressed to him. He sat down in the chair and opened it, skim reading the letter. It was written in a graceful elven script. With a massive drunken slur that could be seen in her script. It was mostly rambling, but it ended with three little words that caused him to ball up the paper in rage that he didn't return it sooner.

"I love you".


	11. Time passes

**Rain falls**

Kari's body and conscious remained frozen in the flow of time, being preserved immaculately as it was brought through the years. Outside of her protective shell, time carried on as usual. In the Summerset Isles, a new faction arose from the ashes of the Crystal Tower, the Third Aldemri Dominion. Huntrek soon embedded himself in this group, mostly to keep an eye on it to be sure they would not interfere with his plans but also because it allowed him to established a larger range of contacts that would be useful when the time was right. It didn't take long for the mage to become a high-ranking officer within the Dominion, his ruthlessness and silver-tongue getting him through the ranks.

Silver had been dismissed from Huntrek's service after his actions, not without having his tail removed as a disciplinary action by the angry Altmer before hand. Purple insisted on leaving with him, the ties of friendship more important than the call of coin. The two returned to Black Marsh before the year was finished. The two ex-servants were life-mates within the next decade.

Edvard Bronzeaxe had his own family now, still living in Solitude and making regular trips to deliver goods to the refugees in Solstheim. He found himself walking past the room in his house that he had kept locked for the past year or so. The Nord looked at the door, his eyes lingering on the childish carving of two smiling stick figures with long ears reading "Kari and mummy's room". There had been no sign of where her 'daughter' had been taken by the strange man who extracted her from prison several months ago. The man smiled sadly and kept walking to where his wife was sitting, cradling a newborn child in her arms. He sat beside her near the fire and talked with her into the night as he usually did. The man and his wife died of natural causes several decades later, their children told to wait for an elven girl called Kari to one day come knocking for her possessions.

The world of Nirn stood on the precipice of war and within a hundred years, war erupted from the Summerset Isles against the mainland of Tamriel. The Empire fell beneath its onslaught. The stories of the heroes and champions of that conflict are not to be told in this story, for this is not theirs. The Thalmor ruled over the world, though no one wished to truly acknowledge such a thing.

 **The Divine Beings watched the major events on the map from the Table. Their interest peaking when the war began. New champions were played, artefacts given to mortals and favours called upon by the living from the gods. Several were disappointed when it ended, the fun being over. All however were worried when one of the Nine constellations began to dwindle and fade from the Dome. No matter what the Gods tried to do to fix it, the constellation of Talos couldn't be stopped fading until it was barely a shadow of its former self.**

All the while, Kari stood motionless in a slowly crumbling manor house, left to the ravages of time. Her mouth hung open in a silent scream from the cold void her body felt, but her mind did not register. Her eyes wide with shock for why her mind couldn't see everything decay outside of the surrounding purple field. Kari was, not for the first time, completely alone.


	12. Rude Awakening

**Time Decays**

There was a loud crack, the sort that would usually herald the coming of a large storm. Then there were sounds of splintering, like a tree being sawn down by angry lumberjack. Huntrek watched through his mask as the purple crystal began to cobweb. He hated the smell of this old place, the once familiar smell of blossoms replaced by the smell of dust and wild animal deification. His once proud manor house had fallen into disuse and decrepitness: the once glossy dark woods now eaten by insects and rotting, the fine carpets and tapestries had been pilfered by scavengers a long time ago with this that had been left now falling apart to the wind, glass had shattered and any semblance that anyone still lived here was long gone. The Altmer watched as the crystal slowly shattered, a century and a half older. He had hardly changed, except his hair had a few grey streaks and the black spots in his eyes had gone. His clothing remained his black robes, the gold no longer as brilliant as it once was. This was his last mission for the Daedra. He was tired of their scheming. Without warning, the crystal imploded inwards, forming as a suit of armour around the figure inside before shattering out across the room. The mage raised a hand, the shimmering ward there deflecting any shards of crystal that may have had a vendetta against him for disturbing their original shape. A dark elven girl, more a woman, lay on the ground in the centre of a weathered stone circle. Huntrek sighed and reached down to pick her up, a few of the sofas he had seen were still in one piece.

Kari's head howled like a familiar nautical gale. Her eyes refused to open while her brain slowly rolled through the process of recovering. All arms? She twitched her limbs. All of them felt like they were there, though they felt longer than her brain remembered. Her lungs brought in a great breath of air, seeming unused to the action and struggling with a weight on her chest that definitely was different to last time. Panic began to set in and her eyes flew open. Before they could start to register what she was seeing, her body unleashed a scream of finally being free from its prison. She was then silent, looking at her legs while her mind argued with her body about what in Oblivion it just did.

"You're awake then. Good". A familiar voice drifted through the dust heavy air. It carried command, calmness and wisdom. Kari remembered most of it, though it sounded aged. She looked up from her legs, which seemed to poke out of her trousers, and into the gloom towards where she heard the voice. Two golden eyes seemed to be hovering in front of her, a voice came from somewhere below them.

"I'm afraid I can't stay long Karinia. I have places I need to be. We'll meet again soon I imagine. There are clean clothes upstairs and I've taken the liberty of writing you a journal to get you up to date. Take care Kari. Lock up when you go". The eyes gave her a kind look and she felt a hand rest on her shoulder, squeezing it gently before the man eyes disappeared into the dark, followed by a flash of purple light.

Karinia. The name rang a bell. That was her name right? Right. Light trickled in through moth eaten curtains, illuminating rings of light in the ground. Her body dragged her upstairs through familiar territory, though her mind kept arguing, asking where it was going. She found herself in a much better preserved room, a dark crystal illuminating the room. There was a small travel chest on the bed, with a set of clean clothes beside it. Bigger than what Kari s wearing. She noted that there was a tall mirror set on the wall beside her, which she almost jumped away from when she didn't recognise the person in the mirror. It was Kari, but... Taller. Her clothes hugged her body tightly, not built for the young woman that was in the mirror, more for a middle aged teenager. Her legs and arms had extended, much more slender and toned with muscle Kari didn't know she had. Her once ashen skin had darkened into a shade of black tar, giving her the appearance of a clothed shadow. Her red hair was matted from being unwashed and flowed down practically to her waist. She moved over to the washroom where a basin of clean water was waiting for her. She shed her tight clothing, suddenly able to breathe properly, and washed the grime off her body. She finished quickly, finding a dagger on the counter near her, using it to cut her hair down to a more sensible size, or rather, hack at her hair until it felt comfortable on her head.

She eventually clothed, finding a leather book underneath the clothing. It was a short tome, written in elven shorthand that described what had happened in the past few hundred years since Kari had been frozen. That had shocked her, but a message from Huntrek written in a different coloured ink reassured her that most things were fine almost exactly when she was shocked by various events. The journal ended with a short note of Huntrek explaining why Kari now was different.

" _... You'll probably have noticed that you're taller now Karinia. Basically you have aged. Despite being suspended it time, I am afraid it does not completely stop the ageing process. For every quarter century or so, you would've aged a year if my calculations are correct. It shouldn't have aged you too much, but you are probably a young adult now. No longer a teenager. I'm sorry I did not stay longer, you are probably very confused. Take the chest and yourself back to Skyrim, you will find your way there. The stone ring in my office should still be useable. Take care of yourself Karinia. -Huntrek Redmane._ "

The Altmer's signature was certainly exotic. Kari smiled a little at the end of the journal, putting it into the travel chest. She picked it up and carried it with her to the ring she had glanced a couple of times in Huntrek's study. She pulled up the hood of the travelling cloak she was wearing and took a look around the now decrepit house. She felt something roll in her stomach, butterflies for leaving this place. The runes on her back, those infernal things, suddenly inflamed on her back, causing her to yelp. The ring suddenly flashed and Kari felt the air change from warm and dusty to cold and crisp. She found herself lying in cold snow, gasping for air and her eyes shut tight from pain. The stone ring she was lying on let out a pitiful noise and crumbled into dust before being blown away on an unseen breeze. Kari continued to breath heavily, letting her eyes open to see stars twinkle back at her. There was a large crimson globe in the sky aswell, to which Kari instinctively let out a prayer to with her few gasps between breaths.

 **Mephala's avatar cracked and arcane dust flittered off it. Her eight eyes opened slowly and her arms unwound from their web shape. She quickly got her bearings, but travelling from her realm to here was uncomfortable. The Daedric prince had had no reason to be here for a while, but one of her well planned threads was about to be joined with another and she wanted to oversee it personally. A beam of light shone down from the dome above from a blazing pair of scales, directly on a stone carving of the dark elven girl, now a woman, with shards of black obsidian and ebony in it. The Dome above twinkled softly in a greeting to the newly arrived Prince, to which the Daedra nodded. She leant forward and watched the map intently. Though she knew the result of the upcoming meeting, she was intrigued to see how it would play out before its resolution.**


	13. Returning Home

**Memories return**

The evening was pleasantly cold. Cold enough so that you could see the breath from your mouth steam infront of your eyes and warm enough that you didn't need thirty cloaks to stay warm. Kari closed her eyes, breathing in the clean air, the first breath she had taken without blossom soaking the air in weeks... No, centuries technically. The elf slowly sat up, a hand resting on the chest beside her while she got her bearings. From a thin gap of torchlight that flickered at the end of the alleyway, she could see a couple of ten-foot long banners that hung on walls. One she recognised as the burgundy banner of Solitude, the other was a black banner, with a white imperial dragon staring down from its height at those below it. The mage stood up in the snow, brushing off the flakes that had clung to her cloak. She reached down and tucked the chest under her arm, the previously heavy box feeling much lighter. Just as she began to leave she stopped and a thought struck her mind. She had no where to go. There was a semblance of a profanity that escaped her lips that surprised her at her own use of language. Kari sighed and walked out from the alleyway into the empty marketplace. It all looked the same, albeit the stalls had moved around and were in varying states of wear and tear. The well was still there, which brought a smile onto her features. A swift glance made her smile fade as none of her or the other kid's scratchings were on there anymore. There was a rumbling from her stomach and she became aware that she was starving. Her first instinct was to start walking home, before it dawned on her that home probably wasn't hers anymore. Eddy would probably be dead. She stopped in her tracks, standing at the main path through the city. She blinked a few times. Everyone she knew was dead except for Huntrek.

A guard glanced over at the hooded woman that was standing still at the entrance to the market. From behind his helmet the guard raised an eyebrow. The figure was clearly a traveller though they looked very much lost. He took his weight off the wall and rolled his shoulders, hearing his leather armour creaking as he did so, before walking over to the figure. As he got closer, he spotted that the woman was an elf by the two lumps that were in her hood that were clearly her ears. He spoke clearly to her, a hand instinctively resting over his axe on his side,  
"Excuse me lass. Are ya lost?". His accent was thick, carrying the colloquial tone of people from Haafingar. The girl seemed to snap out of her daze and looked up at the man. He was shocked by how dark her skin was, even for a Dunmer, and her eyes had something that were just... wrong about them. Her voice sounded hoarse, as though she had been shouting, though it carried a tone that made her sound younger than she looked,  
"No no, thank you. I've just not been here for a while. I should be fine". She smiled, though the effect may have been lost in the darkness on the night. The guard slowly nodded, backing himself up to where he was. He watched the woman go, or rather, he watched the woman blunder back and forth indecisively for a good ten minutes before she headed off towards the residential district of the city.

Kari wandered through the streets, feeling like a child again. Not a lot had changed since she had gone weirdly. Most buildings were still here, a few new ones dotted the landscape. Still made of grey stone. The elf chuckled when she noticed this. Nords were many things, stubborn was certainly on that list. She stopped outside a familiar front door and she ran her free hand over it. Her heart lurched slightly, nerves getting to the better of her. What if the people in here just kicked her out, calling her a homeless vagabond? She shook her head and rapped her knuckles on the door. She waited for a while, putting the chest down on the ground. She felt like another century passed before the door opened for her. A tall Breton man stood at the door, looking very angry and very tired.  
"What do you want elf?". His accent certainly carried that he wasn't from here. Kari thought she could pick out voices of others from behind him, but it was faint.  
"I, uh, sorry to bother you sir. I used to live here a long while a go. I left some things here that I would like to retrieve." She tried to sound sincere, but she probably sounded as confused as the man at the door. He turned and shouted for someone called "Petra" to come to the door. He looked back at the elf, nodding before a shorter Nord woman stood at the door, who looked equally confused as the man.  
"First off, you could've waited until morning miss. It's rude to wake strangers y'know? Second, I want your name. Your full name". She sounded stern, echoing Kari's mother in some respects that made the elf shrink slightly. It was hard for one party to see the other in the gloom, a torch several yards away the only light illuminating them. Kari could see her eyes and was slightly disturbed at how familiar they looked.  
"Karinia. Karinia Ashmane. Who do I have the pleasure of speaking to?". She gave a slight nod of the head and another smile. The woman was silent for a while before calling back into the house for "Gul'zad" to make sure the kids were in bed before looking back at Kari.  
"My grandmother told me that an elf by that name would come knocking one day. I cannot say I believed her until now. I suppose you would like to come in?" She sounded shocked. From behind her an orange glow began to light up the room and corridor, letting Kari see her general outline.  
"If you don't mind. It's been a long journey". The elf offered a kind smile, though she was sure this one was also lost in the gloom of the night.

They were sat in the living room of the house around a pleasant and roaring fire. Kari was sat on one of the seats close to the fire, nestling a tankard of water with a full belly. Petra and Gul'zad turned out to be husband and wife. Petra was a blond haired, blue-eyed Nord, basically the average sight of a Nord woman. She worked as a guard in the city, but was apparently off for some form of anniversary that Kari didn't really hear despite trying her best. Gul'Zad was a student from the college of Winterhold, a centre of magical learning in Skyrim that got the elf's interest, who was rather large in height and width. He had a shaved head but a bushy beard that made it look like his hair was upside down on his head. They gave her a brief history about themselves to Kari while she listened. Petra also made a passing mention that they had two children, but Kari thought better of it than to ask details. From her seat she got a good look of the ground floor of the house. It had changed a fair bit since Kari had seen it last. The only thing Kari had truly recognised was the fireplace. Kari smiled when they reached the end of their stories and Gul'zad leaned over to speak,  
"And what about you, Miss Ashmane? Tell us about yourself". Kari stopped the sip of water she was taking and pondered. She couldn't exactly tell them that she had been suspended in time for the past century and a half without being called a lunatic. A few ideas came to mind before she blundered out a tale of having been fostered by Petra's great grandfather a long time ago and had been wandering Tamriel ever since. The couple seemed to buy it, to which Kari let out a relieved sigh into her tankard. Eventually Kari made her excuses and took herself and her chest to her old room. Tears beaded in her eyes when she saw the faded scratching she had done as a child in the door. A flash of light escaped her hand and she heard the tumblers of the lock turn and the door turned on very old hinges. Kari found it difficult to push the door open to the point where she could squeeze herself into the room. The room was covered in a thick layer of dust from ages of disuse. Despite this, everything looked exactly as it did when Kari last saw it. Even her mother's old jewellery lay, covered in dust, beside her bed. Tears immediately began to flood her eyes and she went to lie on the bed, not caring about the build up of dirt that was on the covers. She felt like a little child again, locked up in the prison cell all alone. She hugged her knees and slowly sobbed herself into sleep, her tears cleaning small patches of dust off the covers.

 **Mephala drummed her fingers on the table, watching the patches of dark materials on Kari's statue grow slow enough for only a Daedra to see. Her blood was creeping its way through the elf, ever so slowly. At this rate, the process would take too long for the threads to be true and to her liking. The statue had to be fully obsidian to be of true use. The Daedra glanced across the table to the stationary form of Dagon and a thought drifted into her mind. It was a dangerous risk, but her actions at the moot several centuries ago should ensure that a temporary alliance could be formed. A smile drifted onto her features and several shards of golden light formed in her hand, before blowing them over to the stationary figure. She imagined that Dagon will not be happy.**


End file.
